“Dear Mr. Vernon …” On March 24, 1984, five students sat through detention in the Shermer High School library. Now, I take a look at my favorite movie of all time, The Breakfast Club. I break down the movie’s plot and give my review, sharing what makes it so special.
You can listen here:
Pop Culture Affidavit podcast page
In the episode, I mention a piece I wrote and posted last year about my changing feelings about Mr. Vernon. Here it is: Sympathy for Richard Vernon
Pop Culture Affidavit 
I loved this one!
I vividly remember the day I saw this. It was opening weekend. A group of my friends, all of us female “Brian’s”, went to see it with one of our parents. Before the movie we had gone mini-golfing and I had fallen in the water. Through the movie my clothes were still wet and sticking to my skin, and I was freezing cold, and still I was completely taken by the movie. I felt that overwhelming, all-encompassing feeling of “someone gets me!” (adolescence = all about me, right?) and yes, someone gets what it’s really like. I was a straight A student who knew the pressures of living up to it. I also related a lot to Allison, though I was far too self-conscious and shy to ever try to be outwardly “different” (that would come post-High School).
I drug my best friend to see it the next weekend, and when it finished we went and hid in the bathroom, waited for the next showing, and saw it again (oh the days when you could theater hop).
It does hold up. I watch it now with my daughters, who both love it, and it still gets me. I can recite the entire film, and do so often (until one of my two daughters get so irritated with me that I finally stop). And, I agree, I see and feel different things at different times in my life.
The dancing? It always seemed cathartic release to me after all the heavy confessions and sharing of emotions. It was a palate cleanser, or scene changer moment – a moment to breathe. I so agree about the “Andy breaks the glass and becomes teen-Hulk with pot moment”…every single time I think “what the hell????” And he breaks the glass and nothing more is said about it?
Allison’s make-over? I get how it bothers people, I do. And, I would agree that she was fine the way she is. My husband and I were discussing it last night (after I listened to this) and he said “she was so damn cute either way!”…but I do think that was the best thing that Claire could give her…it was a gesture of friendship, and I think it was her way of saying that she should show the world, or maybe just Andy, who she was. Or you know, it was her wingman move to help her with Andy, as you said, I’m sure she picked up on the mutual attraction.
OK – I have rambled enough (too much? Sorry, sort of) 🙂
LOVE this movie so much.